Severing Ties
by just drifting
Summary: Written for Asian Angel07's 'Watching one die' challenge. Alice has looked over her niece her whole life, now its time to reveal herself and let her go.


**A/N: Not my best work by far, just a way to get myself into writing again I suppose. This is written for ****Asian Angel07****'s 'Watching one die' challenge. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, not me. **

APOV:

The playground was surrounded in golden light and I knew there was no way I could go in, no matter how much I desperately wanted to. Instead I crouched in the shadows of the trees, watching, waiting.

A small girl of about five or six skipped down the path the playground, her long black hair flowing freely down her back. She was short and thin, dressed in a dirty dress that looked about two sizes too small for her. She wore no shoes and I could tell instantly that she was poor.

She opened the gate and skipped over to the swings. She had to jump to reach the seat, her legs too short, but eventually she made it and settled into the swing. I watched as she kicked her legs in front of her and then behind in an effort to start the swing. Eventually she got it going and with each swing she rose higher into the air.

Her laughter pierced through the silence as she reached new highs, the smile on her petite face growing with each swing. I longed to emerge and stand beside her, pushing her higher than she could go on her own. But I knew I couldn't. So I stayed still and watched.

I didn't notice the time passing; I was too engrossed in the small child's play. The sky darkened and dusk was upon us. I waited for the girl to run off home but she barely noticed the change in the light and stayed where she was. I stayed too.

Presently I noticed to scent of another human approaching. I shrunk back further into the trees so I wasn't found out but make sure not to lose sight of the child. I drew closer as an old, rugged looking man stepped out of the trees and into the playground. The little girl looked up at the man, smiled and went back to her playing.

"Hello," she said, her voice link and tinkly, like bells.

"Hi," the man replied, in a gruff voice with a dangerous edge that I didn't like. I moved closer. The man didn't move and the girl went back to playing.

I saw it before it happened, my vision clouding as the future overtook the present. The man reached out for the girl and grabbed her roughly. She cried out in pain and asked what he was doing through her tears. He didn't reply and instead dragged her towards the trees, muffling her frightened cries with his big fist.

I leapt into action before I could stop myself. In an instant I was beside the girl, drawing her behind me protectively and snarling at the man. He took a step back, frightened by my sudden arrival and vicious look. Then he recovered himself.

"What are you doing here, girly?" he asked, humor entering his tone slightly. I growled at him.

"Go away," I snarled, ignoring the fact that an innocent little eighteen year old human girl would do no such thing. The man stepped back again but didn't do as I'd ordered.

"I don't think so. I was just about to take my baby girl home. Give her back to me," he ordered. I hesitated slightly. Could my vision have been wrong? The man saw my hesitation and stepped forward, an evil glint in his eye. No, my visions were never wrong, this man wanted to hurt the little girl cowering behind me and I wasn't going to let him.

I moved right up to the man and stood on my tip-toes so we were face to face. "Get away," I snarled again viciously, baring my razor sharp teeth at him and hissing into his face. He took one look at my truly frightening expression and turned on his heel and ran.

I turned back to the crying girl clinging to my legs and knelt down in front of her. She looked up at me with big frightened eyes and in the moonlight I could see just how much she looked like me, even at such a young age.

I pulled her into me arms and held her tightly as she cried. "Shh, it's alright, you're safe now, you're fine, the nasty man's gone," I whispered into her raven hair and waited for her to calm down before pulling back. I reached up hesitantly and softly brushed the tears away from her eyes. Even with blotchy red eyes she was beautiful. Her eyes were large and a gray-blue. Her nose was small and cute and her lips were full and pink. Her hair was long and thick, flowing in waves around her, almost to her hips.

"What's your name, Sweetheart?" I asked softly, tucking a curl of hair behind her ear.

"Mary Brandon," she said, her voice wavering just a little bit. I gasped softly, hoping she wouldn't hear. _Mary... _My sister named her child after me. My heart swelled in happiness, even though I could remember nothing of Cynthia.

"Where's your Mommy, Mary?" I asked. She looked up at me and a lone tear fell from her eye and trickled down her cheek.

"She's dead. The influenza took her, and daddy and Jordan and Christopher and baby Catherine. They're all dead." Another tear fell from her eyes and I quickly moved to wipe it away. I pulled her into my hard chest and held her close, hoping she could derive some comfort from me.

She sniffed and then pulled away, "You're cold."

I laughed softly and nodded, "So are you."

"Where do you live, Mary?" I asked, "I think it's time for you to get home, could you show me where it is?"

She nodded and took my hand, leading me out of the playground and back towards the city. I held her hand as tightly as I was able, wanting to hold onto this last piece of family forever.

I dropped her at the door and walked back into the shadows.

-o-o-o-o-o-

I hadn't left little Mary for good though. I was always in the shadows, saving her from the many sticky situations she got herself into but never stepping into the light, I never showed myself to her again, not since that night, although there were so many times when I wanted to. Now was the time to finally reveal myself for the second and final time.

The room was dark, the curtains pulled closed to keep the light out. On the bedside table a soft light glowed although it didn't light the room well. The flower-patterned wallpaper was peeling off the walls in places and the ceiling was a stained white. There was a double bed in the middle of the room with an old, worn-out comforter across it. Apart from the bed, bedside table and a chair beside it, the room was empty.

I crept silently into the room and watched the figure in the bed's chest rise and fall with sleep. Mary was small, as she had always been but her face was worn and weary now. She was still beautiful, even in her old age. Her black hair hadn't turned gray as she aged and it was still cut like mine -- when she was twelve she had cut it into the short spikes she had seen on me – but now the spikes were limp and flat. Her eyes were now more gray than blue but still held the depth they always had and her lips were thin and tight. Still, she was beautiful.

I sat in the chair next to the bed and brushed the hair off Mary's face. Beads of sweat ran down her face and her skin felt like fire against my cool hands. She was dying. A sigh escaped her lips when my hands brushed her face, obviously grateful for their coolness so I moved to the small bathroom to retrieve a bucket of water and a flannel. Sitting back in the chair I mopped at her brow softly, cooling her clammy skin.

I sat like this for awhile, thinking about what I should say, how much to tell her. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open and rested on me. She gasped softly and moved to move away from me, fear flying across her face. I held her down, not wanting her to hurt herself by moving.

"Stay. You'll hurt yourself."

Her eyes widened but she stopped struggling and instead shrunk down into her bed. I waited a moment to see if she would try anything else before letting go of her.

"Who are you?" she asked. I looked at her warily, wondering if she would be able to take it. She waited expectantly and I knew I had to anyway.

"My name is Mary-Alice Brandon," I said slowly, wondering if the name would cause a reaction. It did. She gasped and moved away from me before I could stop her.

"But you can't be, you're dead, she's dead, long dead, there's no way you – she – could be alive." I stared at her for another moment. Could I tell her? She was dying, she wouldn't tell anyone. I searched the future quickly to see if it would be alright to reveal my secret to her. Nothing bad showed up. It would all be alright. I could.

"I'm immortal."

She gaped at me and I wondered if I had gone a bit far. I could hear her heart beat pounding dangerously fast in her chest.

"W-What?" she stuttered, her face filled with disbelief and astonishment.

"What did you mom tell you about me – about Alice?" I asked.

"She said that she was put into an asylum while mom was still little, because she had unnatural visions and that she died soon after being admitted," she said and I was relieved when her heartbeat started to return to normal.

"I didn't die. I was turned into a vampire." She stared incredulously at me again, "Look Mary, I'm immortal, I live forever. Do you remember that night, oh so long ago, when you were a little girl, five or six or so, and you were playing in a park. A guy came to take you away but someone saved you. A small raven haired girl…" I could see on her face that she was starting to believe me now. "That girl was me, Mary. I haven't changed since that day. I've looked after you your whole life."

She believed me. Recognition dawned on her face and despite the enormity of this situation, she smiled up at me.

"Thank you then, for protecting me. I believe you, although I can't really wrap my mind around it all." She grinned at me, her sparkling eyes bringing back a little of the rambunctious child she had been into her wrinkled face. I smiled back, although my smile was tiny compared to hers.

Her smile was broken by a deafening cough erupting from her chest. As she bent over in pain I fluttered over her nervously, unsure of what to do. Eventually she stopped and settled back into the pillows as I passed her a glass of water, which she accepted greedily.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" she asked, her voice so emotionless, so accepting, that I couldn't find it in myself to lie to her.

"Yes," I said.

"Thought so," she nodded. She looked around the plain, dirty room. "I never found anyone. No one was ever perfect enough. I guess I should have settled for something less than best but I always thought that next time'd be the one. So I held out, until it was too late."

"I know," I murmured softly, and she turned to look at me sharply, angrily almost.

"I suppose you have someone, a true love, a soul mate?" she quipped. I hesitated. Should I lie to her? Tell her that I was as lonely as she? But the look on her face told me that she needed truth, that she wouldn't be lied to.

"Yes. He's called Jasper."

Her face softened and her eyes looked repentant. I couldn't blame her, couldn't be angry at her. She had lived alone her whole life, she was allowed to be angry at people who had someone to share their lives with.

"That's nice," she sighed, "I'm glad you've got someone to spend forever with."

I nodded. "So am I," I whispered.

We were silent for a while, Mary was staring off into space and I didn't want to interrupt her, she looked too peaceful. After a while though, she spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I feel like I've missed out on a life I could have had, I could have had you as a friend. Why didn't you reveal yourself to me before now, Alice?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Mary, but we have very strict laws… If I had told you, it would have put both you and my family at risk, I couldn't take that risk. Believe me I wanted to, many, many times."

"Why are you telling me now then?" she asked. I hesitated, not wanting to tell her the reason, for fear it would upset her. She noticed my hesitation.

"Oh, I get it. I'm dying, so I'll never be able to spill your secret. That's it isn't it?" I nodded. "Perfect," she said sarcastically.

I took her hand in mine in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry, Mary."

"Alice?" she asked, "Will you stay with me, until…the end?"

I squeezed her hand softly. "Of course."

-o-o-o-o-o-

She was sleeping when it happened. She passed away peacefully, easily, for which I was grateful. I leaned forward slowly and kissed her wrinkled brow softly before covering her up with the blanket. Someone would find her soon, and she would be buried properly. I would stand towards the back of the funeral, unnoticed, before bidding her goodbye for the final time.

As I moved from the room, I looked back at my niece one last time. Her eyes were closed, her forehead un-furrowed, her face at serene and tranquil. Finally in death, she had found the ultimate peace. I brought my fingers to my lips in a goodbye and then left the room.

I stood a moment outside the building in reflection. I would miss Mary, terribly so. Over the last seventy or so years I had come to love her as my own child, even though she never saw me. My life had fallen into a different pattern during those years and to go back to my old life would be difficult, and it would seem strange. Still, I was looking forward to spending more time with my family, I had started to become distant from them, a lot of my time being spent looking out for Mary.

I pushed off the wall and started heading towards home, picking up speed as my desire to see everyone grew and grew. I tore through the doors of the house and straight into the waiting arms of my love, the rest of my family crowding around us. And even though I had thought Mary's death would take away the final traces of my humanity, I knew that it didn't matter, because we still had each other. And really, that was all we needed.


End file.
